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I use GIMP to create mosaic building instructions for some of the largest custom LEGO mosaics in the world. For smaller scale, easier to use apps, something like PicToBrick is supposed to be good, but I've not used it.
^^I'm going to build it, so I just downloaded GIMP and browsing through the tools right now. It sure is a lot of options, how do I convert it?
Did you not look at PicToBick first?
Another problem I realized and hopefully you have some suggestions for, but how do the super large mosaics get framed or displayed by other builders at the conventions? I won't be able to even transport the final product with a flat bed truck without taking it apart. Not to mention the cost of custom framing something 6 feet wide and 4 feet high.
GIMP and PicToBrick are in different ballparks. The latter is a lot easier to use simply because it's designed to do one thing...make LEGO mosaics. It just lacks some of the flexibility I need for the giant mosaics I do for events.
I also programmed in a heuristic that tries to use best-value parts where possible. E.g. a single 4x4 plate is much cheaper than sixteen 1x1 plates, so it'll use those wherever possible (generally).
Using larger plates makes the following black and white 48x48 mosaic of my cat about four times cheaper than if it had been made entirely with 1x1 tiles:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brickdancer/6909593992/
I'm not familiar with what a 'PNG' version means? I used the iPhone app named Lego Photo to convert the normal pic. It also allows you to choose the type of color scheme of the mosaic, to a limited point. The other restraint is that it is confined to the default grid size I used. So will need to use a different app if you want to make a bigger or smaller sized one. You should give it a spin to see how your app compares in functionality. What I like with yours already out of the gate, is that the sections have division lines between the plates. Another nice function would be if it could spit out a parts list of all the pieces in their desired colors.
I had made this when I was making a "GOLF" logo for a mini-golf MOC. I ended up making the GOLF logo 64x64 instead of 48x48.
(1) I'd like easier controls over what palette to use. You can create custom configurations in PicToBrick for this, but it's tedious.
(2) I'd like an easy way to tweak the results. It doesn't generate the perfect mosaic each time and misses a color here or there when scaling down to smaller sizes when it has to decide one color vs. another. What would be ideal is if I could interact with the generated mosaic from within the program itself, and "override" what it thinks the color should be. Pick the color from my palette and click the squares I think should be that color.
It supports plates up to 16x16 in size, but those are only available in a few colours. In the above example, I've restricted the largest square plate to 6x6 anyway. The algorithm does not always produce the cheapest layout (that would be an NP-complete problem in computer science terms), but it's pretty close to the optimal solution, and I think I prefer the irregular "random" layout of tiles to a regular tiled pattern.
I've since modified it to encode videos into Lego plates layouts. Now that's what I call real Lego Star Wars :)
It would be awesome to be commissioned to make a huge mosaic of a company's logo, but I suspect there aren't that many interested in having a logo made out of Lego.
youtube.com/watch?v=YAbYIEmJRd0&feature=youtu.be
I think you should get this app released soon as possible, you may have a good product for the market if its easy enough to use. Question is how to monetize it correctly. Basic version for free and Full version at small price but have all capabilities for adjusting perhaps? Needless to say, I'd like to take your program out for a spin.
Here's the parts list it generated for my cat (in no particular order). I figured if I stick to black and white stuff for now, then I'll be able to make lots of different things without having to buy too many plates.
Qty Plate Colour
28 1x2 Medium stone grey
11 2x4 Black
17 1x4 Dark stone grey
14 2x3 Dark stone grey
2 1x8 Dark stone grey
1 2x8 Black
5 4x4 Black
4 2x6 Black
17 1x3 Black
2 4x4 Medium stone grey
3 2x6 Medium stone grey
11 2x2 Black
45 1x2 Dark stone grey
6 1x6 Dark stone grey
1 2x8 Medium stone grey
1 4x6 Medium stone grey
71 1x1 Black
8 2x4 Medium stone grey
1 2x10 Black
2 6x6 Black
3 1x2 White
7 1x3 Medium stone grey
14 2x2 Medium stone grey
1 2x10 Medium stone grey
11 1x4 Black
6 2x3 Black
5 1x6 Black
1 1x8 Medium stone grey
3 2x8 Dark stone grey
5 4x6 Dark stone grey
38 1x3 Dark stone grey
9 2x6 Dark stone grey
4 4x4 Dark stone grey
24 2x2 Dark stone grey
107 1x1 Dark stone grey
16 2x4 Dark stone grey
30 1x2 Black
3 6x6 Dark stone grey
1 1x3 White
6 1x4 Medium stone grey
6 2x3 Medium stone grey
55 1x1 Medium stone grey
Thanks in advance!
Total size: 75x54
Total parts: 955
Total price: £76.84 (vs £243.00 if it were made from 1x1 plates)
I've written my program in Java, so it should be able to run on Windows, Linux, Mac, web servers, etc. Perhaps I should find some spare time to polish it up and release it...
@graphite good choose on the rubber variety, that way you could honestly say "no Legos were harmed in the production of this mosaic"
Here's a 64x64 "LEGO" mosaic and a 96x48 Union Flag that I converted automatically from small PNG images, directly to LDR files and PDF instructions!
Any recos on framing the standard build mosaic?
BTW beautiful work @adammullins, i bet @bmwlego will love seeing that, he's hooked on NES mosaics, isn't that right Mr. Beamer?